Life Changes
by Smile.Freely
Summary: All these years later nothing has gone as Harm and Mac had planned. Maybe this time they'll get the happy ending they deserve.
1. Chapter 1

It had been years since they'd parted ways. Losing contact had been a mutual decision, each emailed response taking longer and longer until eventually one of them stopped answering. She racked her brain now to remember who had sent the last letter, but she couldn't remember. Now standing in the rain almost a decade later, she shivered.

"Come on Sarah, we're getting wet." The gentleman coaxed beside her. Andrew Coleman was the picture of a perfect gentleman in a black suit, navy shirt, and matching tie. He reached down and grasped her damp fingers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He knew she was struggling with their decision to come to London, they'd talked in circles before buying the plane ticket. She'd ultimately decided on not going, but Andrew had insisted.

"I don't know what to say to

him," she murmured looking up from under her dark lashes. Water drops settling on her cheeks, as she pleaded with her husband for advice.

"It will come to you," he provided, giving her an encouraging smile. Andrew led her into the funeral home, politely opening the door for her, and taking her coat once inside. A swarm of people buzzed around the bare room. The neutral colors adding little comfort to the sudden feeling of loss she felt. Andrew ran his thumb over her cheek to dry the rain before leading the way into the next room. She was grateful for his presence, and grateful for his understanding as she scanned the crowded room for her friend.

Seated in the corner of the room just to the left right of the casket she saw his long frame seated in a chair. In his arms were two small girls, both with curly hair resting down their backs. Each buried their face in his shoulder. Harm kissed one's forehead and then the other before tilting his head back closing his eyes. Sarah looked up at her husband and gently let go of his hand, knowing he would understand. Slowly she made her way to him, willing him to open his eyes before she got to his side. As if on cue he lifted his head and made instant eye contact with her. Slowly he slid the girls off his lap and closed the distance between him. The hurt in his eyes was almost too much for her to bear, as she too moved toward him. If they were attracting attention, he didn't seem to notice. Without a word he wrapped her in his arms and held her to him. They embraced for a long while until he stepped back and looked at her.

"I've missed you," he breathed, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I had to come," she told him, reaching up instinctively to brush away his tear.

"I feel like I should call out for Sandra…" he dropped off, looking down.

"Harm, I'm so..." Sarah began before he cut in.

"I want you to meet my girls," he told her, a small smile crossing his lips. He quickly turned and held his hand out to the small girls watching him. They scurried toward their father, glad to be close to him. "Isabelle, Emmaline, I want you to meet an old friend of Daddy's from America," he told him while kneeling to their level. "Mac these are my twins. Elle and Emma." The girls were shy and clung to their father without much of a sound. "I know they really shouldn't be here but Sandra doesn't have any family left and I didn't know what else to do," Harm shrugged, despair showing in his eyes once more. Mac eyed him closely before kneeling before the girls.

"Hi girls," She smiled at them, putting them at ease. "Want to know something really cool?" She asked them, her voice sounding more excited than she really was. The girls nodded quickly hanging on her every word. "I'm staying in a big hotel just down the road, they have the biggest pool I've ever seen, and hot tubs, and big beds to jump on. How would you like to come check it out while your daddy finishes up here?" The girls smiled up at their dad who looked at Mac with appreciation.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Can we daddy?" Emmaline asked, her green eyes showing the most happiness he'd seen all week._

_ "Of course baby, I'll pick you and your sister up in a few hours okay?" Isabelle nodded along with her sister. "Be good for Mac please, okay?" Again the girls nodded, their identical features showing. "Go get your coats then." Harm told them before they ran off._

_ "Emma will keep an eye on Elle, She's only a few minutes older, but she thinks she's 17," he chuckled a little, the sound feeling unfamiliar to him. They exchanged the rest of the information before Andrew made his way over and quickly introduced himself. Mac explained they were watching the girls, to which Andrew smiled graciously and agreed to pull up the car._

_ "I appreciate your understanding Andrew," Mac told him, glancing in the back seat at the twins who were watching out their window. "I just offered without thinking." She explained._

_ "It's no problem, they need a break anyway," he smiled at her before taking her hand across the center counsel. "I do have one question though," he started before changing lanes. "What are they going to swim in?" he smiled a little. Mac brought her other hand up to her forehead before laughing a little. _

_ "It never crossed my mind." She told him, shaking her head. Andrew laughed a little with her before making a quick turn off of the main road. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and handed it to her as he pulled the rental car into the parking lot of a local store. "Whatever you need Sarah." _

_ As always, he was kinder than necessary. She routinely got the impression he'd move heaven and earth if it made her happy. She shook her head as opened her door. How she had become so lucky, she would never know. Sarah opened the back door and found that Isabelle had fallen asleep, her head resting against the opposite door._

_ "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She hasn't been sleeping the last few nights." Emma told her before hoping out of the car. Sarah glanced at her husband who gave her a soft smile. The whole shopping experience took almost half an hour. Harm had been right, Emmaline was sure to pick out a suit her sister would like, along with some tubes since Elle didn't swim that well. Mac couldn't help but laugh at the young girl as she twirled her hair around her finger._

_ Somewhere between the car and the hotel room Elle awoke to find herself in Andrews arms. She watched him closely before glancing at Emma to be sure she was safe. Emma hadn't stopped talking about starting school in a few months. Elle drew comfort from her sisters babbling and rested her head back against Andrew's shoulder._

_ Mac helped the girls into their new suits, and tied back their hair. When they emerged from the bathroom, she found her husband surrounded by blown up tubes for the girls. "You didn't have to inflate all of them!" She laughed a little. _

_ "Then why are there are six of them?" he asked smiling a little. Sarah shook her head in response before crawling up onto the king sized bed and placing a kiss on his lips. "Emma couldn't remember Elle's favorite color," she explained. "Ready girls?" She asked, jumping off the bed. _

_ By the time Harm came to pick up his girls, they were passed out on the large bed, still wrapped in their hotel towels, He found the door slightly open, and Sarah and her husband sitting on the balcony. The rain had broke, and the night sky was clearing up. He stepped onto the balcony while loosening his tie and shrugging out of his jacket _

_ "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking them," Harm told them, extending his hand to Andrew. _

_ "They had fun Admiral," Andrew told him before stepping inside to the small refrigerator. Andrew grabbed three of the long neck bottles and handed one to Harm, and then to his wife._

_ "It's Harm," he corrected before popping the top off the bottle and pressing it to his lips. "I'm happy to finally have a chance to meet you, I just wish it was under better circumstances." Harm told Andrew, motioning to him with his bottle._

_ "Harm, I know you don't want to think about it, but what happened?" Mac asked. Harm stared at her, his eyes huge._

_ "Nobody called you?" He asked in shock. When Andrew and Mac exchanged a look Harm swore under his breath. "It was murder," he sighed, leaning on the balcony. Mac murmured under her breath. Andrew glanced at her before reaching out and taking her hand. "Someone was supposed to call you!" Harm almost yelled._

_ "Who?" Mac asked._

_ "Palmer." Harm sighed. Mac responded instantly, standing and walking toward him, slowly she pulled him into a hug. "I knew he'd come for her Mac, I thought of it on our wedding night, but I put my guard down. He disguised himself for months as our mail man, he knew everything about our family. My girls, our schedule, our bills. Everything Mac." Harm sobbed into her shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut, tears escaping through his lashes. Andrew leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees listening as Harm went on. "I was away, he must have known because my car was gone the whole week. He let himself in the night I came home. Just minutes before I pulled in. He cornered Sandra in the bathroom and stabbed her to death." Harm's voice cracked with emotion as his chest heaved with grief. "I came home to a quiet house I thought the girls were sleeping, I found her still alive, bleeding out on the bathroom floor Sarah. She was alive. If I had come in five minutes earlier…."_

_ "He would have killed you Harm." Mac told him, willing him to believe her. She tightened her grip on him as he continued to cry. _

_ "I pray at night that he had Sarah, the look in her eyes. She knew she was going to die. She knew who he was, I'd told her about him…" He was crying too hard to finish now. Andrew glanced over his should to see Elle sitting on the bed watching her father. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Andrew quietly made his way to her, he slid the door shut behind him and scooped her up. _

_ "I don't understand, he was in Prison. He had so much time tacked on the last time we saw him, he should have never seen the outside again." Mac shook her head, trying to make sense of it._

_ "Apparently he was seeing a shrink inside and they determined he'd been able to resolve past issues. He was paroled about a year ago, he was on probation and required to continue to see the shrink but about six months ago he disappeared." _

_ "He's been watching you that long?" Mac questioned._

_ "It seems that way, we don't know for sure," Harm told her. "My yeoman was ordered to call you Mac, the investigation led London Police back to the U.S." _

_ "What are you thinking?" she asked _

_ "You, I was worried he was coming after you. Or your family."_

_ "Landon." Mac breathed, taking a step away from Harm._

_ "Where is he?" Harm asked, his authoritative instincts returning._

_ "With Bud and Harriet. Harm is my son in danger?" Mac asked him her eyes searching for honesty._

_ "I don't know, he never showed much interest in you back then, but he's coming after prominent people in my life and back then you were all I had." Harm concluded as Elle pulled the sliding door open and clung to her father's leg. _

_ "Sarah, what's wrong?" Andrew asked instantly noticing her despair. Mac turned to him and wrapped herself in his embrace. "Sarah Beth, what is wrong?" Andrew asked again, his anguish rising._

_ "We shouldn't have left Landon," she breathed. _

_ "What? What happened? Is he okay?" Andrew asked, panicking. He pulled his wife away from his chest to look at her._

_ "The guy who…" Harm paused to scoop up his timid daughter. "Did this, is back in the U.S. I'll call and make security arrangements, but I assure you this only ends when he's six foot under," Harm promised, choosing his words carefully because of his daughter._

_ The cold tone in Harm's voice made Mac shiver against her husband, he was dead set on killing Palmer himself, and Mac could only hope his determination wouldn't lead to his death too. Harm and Andrew carried the sleepy girls to the car while Mac trailed with wet bathing suits and tubes. She shut the back door on the suburban and made her way to the drives side. _

_ "I'll see you tomorrow okay?" _

_ "Yeah, will you come early?" Harm asked._

_ "Sure, Andrew and I can take the girls again after a while if you want. Maybe take them to get lunch or something," she told him, resting her hand on his arm. Harm nodded and ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. She gave him an encouraging smile before moving to stand next to her husband. Andrew was careful not to take her hand until Harm was out of sight, for fear of making things harder for him. It wasn't until they were lying in each other's arms that Mac realized he had become very quiet._

_ "Thank you for being so understanding," she started, hoping he'd open up to her._

_ "I do understand. I'm glad you're able to be here for him when he needs you the most. Your love for your friends is one of my favorite things about you," he told her, while placing a gentle kiss on her forehead._

_ "You're very quiet," she offered._

_ "My head is with Landon."_

_ "Mine too," she squeezed her arms around his torso, letting him feel her anguish._

_ "I think I should go home Sarah," he told her. She brought her brown eyes to meet his, and knew he was torn between being there with her and keeping their son safe._

_ "We both should," Mac responded._


End file.
